Aftermath
by fyd818
Summary: :Post-finale fic: Jo Martinez was not a coward, yet suddenly she had the nearly irresistable urge to run. But she would not, because Henry Morgan had taught her how to live again, and how could she do any less? :Henry x Jo:


Disclaimer: I don't own _Forever_ , nor any places, things, characters, or ideas therein. The aforementioned belong to Matt Miller, Warner Brothers, etc., and not to me. I am merely borrowing the characters for a while and will put them back in their shiny cases, unharmed, when finished. I am writing this fic for entertainment purposes only, not monetary gain.

Summary: Post-finale fic. Jo Martinez was not a coward, yet suddenly she had the nearly irresistable urge to run. But she would not, because Henry Morgan had taught her how to live again, and how could she do any less? :Henry x Jo:

Rating: K+

Warnings: Mentions of death and violence

Pairing(s): Henry/Jo

Spoilers: General spoilers for the series, up to and including 1x22

 **Dedication:** To _Mama Jo_ \- my mother, my friend, my cohort in all things fun, my fellow writer and Foreverist. I hope Mother's Day is a truly wonderful one, and this fic helps brighten your day, and the day of many others. Thank you so much for everything.

 **Author's Note:** There are so many beautiful reveal fics out there, I felt a little intimidated about writing one myself. But then I thought, "Why not right an aftermath fic?" Thus this story was born. _Forever_ is a beautiful show, and it's inspired me in so many ways. I love the cast and the writers and the hard work they put into every episode. I hope this fic is even halfway as good as what they gave us each Tuesday. Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

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 ***~Aftermath~***

 _.:fyd818:._

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His eyes were filled with such wisdom. She could see it lingering in those dark depths - the knowledge he'd earned the hard way.

Two hundred plus _years_ of it.

Jo Martinez felt the trembling start deep in her gut, working its way through her limbs and up her spine. _This is impossible._ They were the only words she could bring to mind, because how was she to react to this impossible news? Immortality did not exist. It was a plot device used in books, movies, and television shows, not the basis of _reality_.

And yet Dr. Henry Morgan sat before her, strong hands folded loosely in his lap, eyes showing no hint of deception, mouth set in a concerned line as he watched her. She recognized the tension in his shoulders - did he think she was going to bolt?

Ironically, Jo realized if she thought her shaky legs would hold her, perhaps she would. She absolutely refused to run from criminals, even when they were threatening her life - she was _anything_ but a coward. However, when faced with the news Henry was immortal ( _undying_ , _indestructable_ , _unkillable_ ), the urge to run away was so strong it surprised her.

Terrified her.

"You're lying to me," she accused him shakily. But Jo knew even as the words rasped past her throat it wasn't true. Henry had lied to her many times in the past, and she knew every single time he had. He was a terrible liar.

At this moment, every last shred of evidence pointed to the fact he was telling the truth. _But it's impossible!_

Save for a quick blink, Henry showed no outward surprise or hurt by her response. Instead, he inclined his head slightly and spoke quietly, his tone as unwavering as his gaze. "I have lied to you many times in the past, that is true. But I promise you this, I am _not_ lying to you this time."

"So all those times you _deliberately_ put yourself in danger..." Jo trailed off. She could remember every single one of them. He'd thrown himself in front of moving cars, deadly bullets, even allowed himself to be shot off a roof once (she knew what she'd seen, even if she herself had been shot and losing blood at the time). "All those times, you put yourself in the line of fire on purpose, because-" she hesitated, unable to voice the words. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Because you're..." She just couldn't do it. Couldn't say it. Couldn't accept it.

Henry nodded once, slowly. "Yes." He watched her warily still, as if expecting her to scream and bolt, or perhaps even to leap across the space between them and attack him. (If Jo were honest, she would admit both possibilities were still on the table.) "I am completely expendable. I am in the unique position of being absolutely unkillable by anything. If I am shot, I will come back. If I am hit by a car, I will come back." He eased forward, resting his elbows on his knees, hands dangling between his legs. But he never released her from that dark, honest, frighteningly earnest gaze of his. "If you are in danger and I am there, I promise you there is no way I would not throw myself between you and it. Whereas I am expendable-" he hesitated, blowing out a breath that sounded more than a little shaky "- _you_ are not."

"You are _not_ expendable." Jo meant to snap the words, but they came out sounding much quieter than she'd intended. Drawing in a deep breath, she briefly closed her eyes and tried to regain her emotional equilibrium despite the maelstrom churning in her mind and heart. (She refused to contemplate the more _personal_ aspect of what she'd just head - she could only process one life-altering thing at a time, thank you.) "So your pocket watch, and the picture..." The moment she'd seen the man in the picture, she'd known it was Henry. This was not some ancestor of his - father, uncle, or grandfather. No relative could resemble him so closely, right down to the ageless wisdom in his eyes.

"I lost them when I-" Henry stopped abruptly, as if realizing his forthcoming bluntness was a tad too much for her to take at the moment. " _Hm_ , yes. But to answer your question, the man in the picture is me. The woman is Abigail, my - my wife, and the boy is Abraham."

Abe, the owner and operator of Abe's Antiques, the man Jo knew was lurking in the next room, waiting to see what would happen at the end of this confession. The man who was _clearly_ many decades older than Henry. "Abe, your _son_ ," Jo clarified. _Impossible_.

As if their converstion had summoned him, Abe's head appeared around the corner. He looked from Henry to Jo, his brows raising at the sight of her. "Did you want me to bring some tea, Pops?" he asked. He grimaced apologetically, and Jo wondered what the expression on her face looked like at the moment. "Or maybe something a little stronger?"

"The second," Henry told Abe after a quick glance at Jo. "And then, I believe, the first."

"Right." Abe smiled reassuringly at Jo before vanishing, presumably to get the liquor. And then the tea. (It all seemed so _British_ , but then, so did Henry.)

"At least now I know why you know so much about history. And antiques. And a thousand other things you couldn't - shouldn't - possibly know." It was a small joke, perhaps, but Jo felt like if she didn't find something in this situation to laugh at, she would go _crazy_.

Henry's eyes brightened slightly. "You believe me?" he whispered.

"Against my better judgement - and, at least for now - yes." And she did. Conditionally.

"And you don't think I'm crazy?" He asked the question with obvious hesitation.

Jo remembered his story of Nora, his first wife who had had him committed because she thought he was insane. "In a lot of ways, yes." She mustered a smile to soften the sting of her words. "But in this case - no." Why else would he always be in such a mad rush to get himself killed? His being immortal was the _only_ thing that made sense.

Besides, Jo had dealt with madmen before, and Henry showed absolutely none of the same signs she'd seen in the others. As impossible as it seemed, he was completely in possession of his faculties and was telling her the truth - at least, the truth as he believed it.

As if sensing the last of her hesitation, some of the light in Henry's eyes faded. "It is a _lot_ to comprehend," he said. "I admit that. In fact, there are times when I hesitate to believe it myself, even given how long I've lived and all the things I've seen. And I don't blame you for not believing it." Leaning back in his seat, he sighed and closed his eyes, briefly pinching the bridge of his nose. "But as Abraham so thoughtfully pointed out to me - on multiple occasions - you should know the truth. You are my friend, and I trust you. And it would be a terrible thing for you to know the truth after I died in front of you."

A chill raced across Jo's skin at the thought, raising gooseflesh in its wake. It wasn't hard at all to picture one of the many times Henry had put himself in danger coming to a much different conclusion, ending in the way he'd just mentioned. Except with a twist beyond the normal, expected way.

It made her mad. "What would you have done if that did happen?" she challenged. "If you had- had-" She sucked in a deep breath, telling herself not to be afraid of the word. "If you had _died_ , and then disappeared?"

Henry ran a hand down his face, then looked at her with such a haggard expression on his face she hardly recognized him. "I would have told you the truth," he said tiredly. "But then, only because I had to."

It was a subtle connotation, but Jo still picked up on it. "Because you had to," she repeated. "Not because you _wanted_ to." She hesitated, testing the mood, before adding, "Like now?"

Looking uncomfortable, Henry tugged at his collar. "It is not an easy secret to share," he told her. "And not one I've often shared willingly."

"But it was time," Abe said firmly, drawing their attention as he entered the room. He set down two glasses on the small table between the armchairs where Henry and Jo were seated then poured a couple fingers' worth of rich, golden liquor into each glass. "And he knew it." With a friendly smile, the antique shop owner handed Jo her glass, then Henry his, before disappearing out the door again - conveniently taking the scotch with him.

Jo sipped the contents of her glass thoughtfully, nursing it since it was some of the best she'd ever tasted. It figured Henry would have exquisite taste in liquor. "I understand, I think." She rolled her next sip around in her mouth for a moment, savoring the flavor before she swallowed and continued. "As much as I can, in a situation like this." Funny, her trembling had eased away without her realizing. Was she actually calming down, or was it the drink? She wasn't sure, but she hoped it was the former.

Still holding his mostly-empty glass, Henry looked to her again and smiled wryly. "You know, it feels better than I thought it would, telling you my secret. It's been weighing on me, your not knowing. I just-" He shook his head slowly, laughing under his breath. "I suppose I put it off so long because I was afraid I'd frighten you off."

Part of her _was_ still frightened. It was a strange, and in some ways terrible, knowledge, knowing Henry was immortal. But in other - and far better, if she were completely honest - it was a relief. After losing Sean, she'd been fighting to keep herself from getting too close to Henry, especially considering what had seemed like his mile-wide self-destructive streak.

But now she knew she wouldn't lose him - not to death, anyway. And though Henry's circumstances were beyond strange, Jo felt incredibly honored he'd chosen to trust her with his secret. She knew without asking he didn't want her to share it with anybody - not Hanson, not Lt. Reese, not even Lucas. She was suddenly one of a very exclusive number of people who knew the truth - that the world was much, much stranger than even fiction could imagine.

Abe entered the room again, carrying a tray with a full tea set. "Strange isn't it?" he asked Jo with a wink. After setting down the tray, he poured the tea before handing Jo her cup. After she accepted it, simultaneously reaching to set her empty scotch glass on the table, Abe caught her arm and squeezed it lightly. "I was thirteen when I found out, which means I've known for most of my life. But sometimes it's hard even for _me_ to comprehend, so don't worry if it all feels a little fantastic and unbelievable sometimes, all right?"

Jo really did like Abe. He had a way about him of setting everyone at ease, his cheerful disposition making him seem so warm and approachable. "Thank you," she whispered.

He smiled again and patted her shoulder before giving Henry his cup. "I'll be right back," he told them. Then he left the room with a speed which belied his age.

The silence stretched between Jo and Henry. She liked it, since the comfortable quiet between them allowed her to think things through more, to process them and really let it sink in. Henry seemed to understand, bless him, and he peacefully watched her as he drank his own tea.

A few minutes later, Abe re-entered the room, carrying a neatly folded stack of clothing, a pair of shoes, and a couple of towels. "Here," he said, setting the items down on the foot stool resting slightly to the left of Jo's chair. "You'll need to keep these in your trunk, now that you're in the know."

Jo blinked. "What-?" It took a minute, but the full meaning of Abe's words finally sank in. "Oh. Right. For when Henry..." She trailed off, remembering the strange "skinny dipping" incident not too long after she'd first met him.

"I'll show you soon where I come back," Henry told her. "So you'll know."

"Right." Jo nodded, setting down her tea cup and saucer before they could rattle and give away the fact her hands were shaking again, just slightly.

Again, as if sensing what she was feeling, Henry got to his feet and smiled down at her. "It's late," he said softly. "I'm sure you'd like to go home, get some rest, and think about all this. It's quite a lot to take in."

"Yes," Jo agreed. "It is." She wondered if it would grow easier, this knowledge, the longer she held it. Looking at Abe, who was smiling at them like some proud papa, she realized it would. Eventually.

After all, like Henry said, if he didn't think she could handle knowing, or couldn't be trusted, he wouldn't have told her. And though she'd felt a little angry and hurt at first, since he'd kept the truth from her for so long, Jo was beginning to understand why. And eventually, she'd bo okay with that, too.

Abe stayed behind to clean up the cups as Henry walked her to the front of the store. In silent agreement, they stopped just in front of the exit of the shop, the dimmed lights in the store glowing in Henry's eyes and shining in his dark, curly hair. "Thank you for listening, Jo." A small smile kicked up one corner of his mouth, and he added, "And for resisting the urge to run away."

"Who said I wanted to do that?" Jo smiled even as she voiced the protest, knowing Henry knew her far better than she'd realized. And now, tonight, she'd come to know him far more than she had before. "Thank you, Henry, for trusting me with your secret. I know it can't have been easy."

"No. But if I've learned one thing in my long life, it's that some secrets are meant to be shared, when the right person comes along." Leaning forward, Henry pressed his lips to Jo's forehead, the kiss swift but warm. She barely registered the act before he pulled away again, returning the proper distance between them. "Good night, Jo."

For the first time since she'd found the pocket watch and picture, Jo felt the knot in her chest unravel. It was replaced by a kind of warm peace, and it wasn't hard at all to smile back. "Good night, Henry. I'll see you tomorrow."

Hope burst to life in Henry's eyes and across his handsome face as he nodded, smiling down at her with such warmth and affection it nearly stole her breath. "Tomorrow, then."

As Jo turned her car toward home, she smiled at the sense of rightness settling into her heart. In a way, it felt like she'd been waiting forever for someone like Henry. He'd helped her learn how to live again.

And now it was her turn to show _him_ how to do the same.

She could hardly wait.

 ***~The End~***

 _ **Author's Ending Notes:**_ After reading so many beautiful reveal fics, I felt more than a little intimidated about writing one myself, so I was always afraid to put my fingers on the keyboard, as it were. Yet after the end of 1x22, I had the irresistable urge to write _something_. But instead of a reveal fic, I thought I'd do an _aftermath_ fic. It didn't take me long at all to get sucked into the story, and Jo, Henry, and Abe pretty much told it themselves. I really do adore this show, and I loved the quality stories the writers and actors told each week. I hope my work is even half as good as what they did. And though the show's been canceled, I hold out tremendous hope that another network will realize what a beautiful show it is and snap it up to continue the story. I hope some of that hope trickled into my writing, too. Thank you all so much for giving my fic a read, and I hope you enjoyed it!


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